Everybody wants to wish us goodbye.

Monday was a serious packing day.  We had the trailer more than half full.  We had bought some sodas, and I gathered many odds and ends to put into the tubs we bought from John and Sue in case we sold our house.  We are using them instead of boxes.  In the late afternoon we played hand and foot with John and Sue until dinner when we had some steaks Evelyn had prepared.  I didn’t barbecue them because they were sirloins and don’t have much fat, leaving them dry.  We ate on our screened porch because it was a very pleasant evening.  We split a box of Rotel with them.  We had bought it and took my sports jacket to the cleaner so they could try to get the line on the back out again.

Tuesday was more packing.  I always marvel at the amount of things we haul back and forth.  The trailer was 3/4 full, but we still had 3 tubs and 2 suitcases to load.  The suitcases go into the car along with a medium size cooler.  We took many frozen items to the refrigerator in the Outback so Evelyn could clean out our refrigerator.  We continued eating as many leftovers was we could.  Evelyn had taken a lunch to Judy across the street and developed a sore throat.  Judy has been quite ill for more than a week.  I should not have let Evelyn go there because she gets hit very hard when she catches cold.  Bonny came to visit and invited us for lunch tomorrow.  They are wonderful friends—one of the reasons we keep returning to the Valley.  Don and Janice came to see us off, and we went to dinner with them at Arturo’s.  They are wonderful friends too.  All of our social friends are Christian friends as well.  We have a good time with them. 

Wednesday the trailer was packed to the roof.  I don’t remember its being that full anytime in the past.  I normally bring beer in the autumn, but I don’t have any to take back.  I do have some booze and vanilla to take.  Perhaps that is the difference.  Regardless, Bonny made a delicious fish lunch for us at their home.  We talk of cruising together and having them visit in NC, but we have little hope of seeing that come to fruition.  We came home and I did some maintenance item while Evelyn rested.  She slept a little but not much.  She had done 2 loads of laundry in the morning and 1 after lunch.  She can rest while the machines run.  We went to John and Sue’s  for a pork chop dinner and another round of hand and foot.  We came home early, hooked up the trailer and went to bed so we can leave early in the morning.